Rise of the Rain Book 1: Devastation
by Icestar0921
Summary: Summary inside. Prequel to Ice in the Stars.
1. Chapter 1

_An illness has wiped out most of RainClan, killing both the deputy and leader. No kits or elders survived and those that managed to overcome the sickness are drained of energy with every passing day, charged with the impossible task of feeding the clan.  
>Mysteriously, senior warrior Icefire has escaped the deadly clutches of the incurable sickness and stands as the only cat left strong enough to lead RainClan...<em>

**So... This is the prequel to Ice in the Stars. And I have decided to keep updating and working on it due to public demand. However, this is now the main fanfic I'm working on, so don't expect regular updates on Ice in the Stars.**

* * *

><p>Allegiances<p>

RainClan

Leader: Icestar- Huge ginger she-cat with ice blue eyes

Deputy: Goldenshade- Golden tom with yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: Graystorm- Dark gray tom with amber eyes

Elite Warriors:

Breezecloud- Light gray tom with dark gray stripes and blue eyes

Thunderflight- Dark gray tom with yellow eyes. Looks like he got struck by lightning.

Lionwing- Golden tom with bright green eyes. Apprentice- Stripepaw

Warriors:

Bluestripe- Blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Turtleheart- Gray tom with one white stripe down his back. Apprentice- Dawnpaw

Snaketail- black and white tom with green eyes

Rosefur- pinkish she-cat with green eyes

Duststripe- Dusty brown tom with amber eyes. Apprentice- Sneezepaw

Redbossom- Red-brown she-cat with green eyes

Weaselclaw- gray tom with black paws and tail.

Tawnywing- Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Hailfoot- light gray tom with blue eyes.

Apprentices:

Stripepaw- Gray tom covered in black stripes with ice blue eyes

Dawnpaw- Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with purple eyes. Daughter of Dawnstar.

Sneezepaw- Gray tom with black flecks and blue eyes.

Queens:

Bumbletail- Dark tabby she-cat with gray eyes. Expecting Lionwing's kits

Elders:

none

**Prologue:**

_"I hail you by your new name, Icestar."_

Icestar sprang easily onto the Highstone and yowled. The remains of RainClan padded carefully out of the den, checking the safety of the clearing before cautiously slinking into the clearing.

Icestar flinched. The sickness that ended Dawnstar and killed half the clan left the once strong RainClan tired and weak.

"Listen up!" Icestar snapped. "Because of our small ranks and limited amount of kits and apprentices, I have created a system that will keep our fresh-kill pile well stocked and our borders well defended. All hunting patrols are required to also patrol one border. Border patrols will need to hunt while they are patrolling. Am I clear?"

The clan nodded their agreement.

"And," She continued. "Breezecloud, Lionwing, Thunderflight, and Goldenshade. You will form an elite warriors group. You are in charge of camp when I am not here, you have power over the other warriors." The four warriors looked up at Icestar with surprise in their eyes. "Start organizing hunting and border patrols!" Icestar spat at them. "I will lead one myself."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that Rise of the Rain helps you better understand the character of Icestar considering her personality is hard to grasp.<strong>

**Flames welcome, people telling me what I did wrong can help me get it right in later chapters.**

**~Icestar0921**


	2. Chapter 2

_An illness has wiped out most of RainClan, killing both the deputy and leader. No kits or elders survived and those that managed to overcome the sickness are drained of energy with every passing day, charged with the impossible task of feeding the clan.  
>Mysteriously, senior warrior Icefire has escaped the deadly clutches of the incurable sickness and stands as the only cat left strong enough to lead RainClan...<em>

**So... This is the prequel to Ice in the Stars. And I have decided to keep updating and working on it due to public demand. However, this is now the main fanfic I'm working on, so don't expect regular updates on Ice in the Stars.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 1:<span>**

The shrill warning call of a bird split the morning air, leaving a faint echo in the otherwise silent forest. Thick gray clouds covered the early morning sun. Tall trees swayed in the gentle breeze, carrying with it the sharp smell of rain. The clouds on the horizon had a dull pinkness that gave away the beginning of dawn.

A low howl echoed across the deathly quiet forest. Icestar pricked her ears. "Wolves." She breathed, careful not to disturb the still air.

Light pawsteps sounded behind the RainClan leader, and she quickly moved her eyes away from the forest. "Nice morning."

Icestar identified the voice as her deputy, Goldenshade.

"Rain is on it's way." She replied.

Goldenshade turned to face her. "The forest needs rain." He replied.

Icestar fixed her ice blue gaze back on the slowly growing dawn light. "We will get plenty of rain."

"How do you know?" He asked, shaking his head a little. "Another drought right after this one could be deadly."

Icestar pondered the word. _Deadly._ It could be described as any thing from death to simply an unlucky hunt. Without turning to face him she replied calmly. "Leaf-bare is almost upon us, we will get plenty of rain, if not snow."

"Then build the clan fast Icestar. We are running out of time. After recovering from the disease, we cannot survive an outbreak of greencough. Graystorm is pressured enough as it is." Goldenshade looked up at Icestar, trying to meet her eyes.

"We will pull through." Icestar's shoulder muscled tensed as if an unseen enemy were challenging her. "We always have. RainClan will not falter in our darkest hour as we have before. Not while I'm leader."

Goldenshade narrowed his eyes. "Brave words, Icestar. But it is not the other clans we should fear, it's leaf-bare. Most of our cats are too weak from the sickness to even drag themselves out of their nests. The others are quickly tiring after long days of doubled patrols and constant watches. Only Lionwing, Thunderflight, Hailfoot, Duststripe, Tawnywing, myself, you, Stripepaw, Sneezepaw, and Redblossom remain fit enough to care for the clan." Icestar curled her lip at the mention of Redblossom.

"What about Bumbletail?" Icestar demanded. Icestar refused to let the clan's only expecting queen die. Icestar had begun to hunt for Lionwing's mate in the two moons since her leadership began.

"She's fine. In fact, she's the only cat in the clan that can expect to be full-fed every day." Goldenshade looked out into the clearing, where several warriors had begun to gather into a hunting patrol and the dawn patrol. They all looked tired and skinny, tails dragged in the dirt as they faced the day full of hard work.

_The clan really needs a day off. _Nodding to Goldenshade, she padded over to the small group of warriors. "Duststripe and Redblossom, come with me." Redblossom's head shot up, surprise flickering in her eyes. Scanning the small group, she choked back a gasp as she got a hard look of the warriors. Gaunt faced and skinny, their tails twitched back and forth nervously and their dull eyes stared back at Icestar dully or wandered around the clearing.

"Stripepaw, go with Hailfoot and weave extra leaves into the elders' den and nursery. Sneezepaw, go and collect as much moss, fern, and vine as you can from now to sunhigh." Icestar ordered, flicking her tail to the pile of broad, flat, waxy leaves in a neat pile by the warriors' den. They quietly dipped their heads to her and padded away.

"Tawnywing, Lionwing, Goldenshade, Thunderflight. Patrol the NightClan border." Icestar had turned to leave when a voice called her back.

"But Icestar, That leaves only a warrior, a medicine cat, and two apprentices in camp. With a bunch of sick cats to care for." Icestar turned back to the speaker.

"I can't afford to waste a warrior with guarding the camp entrance. Hailfoot isn't deaf!" She snapped at the patrol, unsure which cat had defied her.

Icestar growled, "Come on!" Icestar raced out the entrance to camp, desperate to escape the clan.

Icestar crouched down and quietly pulled herself forward, motioning for her patrol to do the same. Two RedClan cats stood several tail lengths inside the border. One seemed to be stalking prey, and the other sat with it's back to the patrol, ears pricked. _Fool! It doesn't even know that we're here! _She thought.

Icestar gathered power in her haunches and threw herself forward yowling, "Prey stealers!" She grabbed the cat on lookout and shoved him into the ground. She placed a paw on his chest and hissed in his face. "How dare you?"

The warrior gazed up at her smugly. "With RainClan damaged by the illness you can't defend your borders very well, now can you, Icestar?"

"Leave now! You can go out the easy way, or the hard way!" She spat, fur bristling. "Either way, I'll give you some scratches to show your cowardly clan."

"Now that's not very nice." The cat tilted it's head to the side and looked up at Icestar.

_Wait, I don't recognize this warrior. _"Who are you?" Icestar snarled. The intruder was a white tom with brown patches and green eyes. He was a fairly large tom, and muscles rippled under his pelt.

The cat grinned. "I am Frostpaw of RedClan."

Icestar stared at him in disbelief. "You're an _apprentice!"_

"No, I'm a warrior." Frostpaw replied.

"Then why don't you have your warrior name?" Duststripe asked. He had the other RedClan cat pinned, and nearby, Redblossom stood with a rabbit.

A confused expression appeared on the apprentice's face. "Foxfrost told me I was a warrior." Icestar was disgusted.

She hauled him to his paws and shoved him back over the border. "Whatever. Tell Foxfrost to teach you clan boundaries RedClan!" She sneered. Duststripe shoved the other cat over too, a sleek black she-cat with gray eyes.

Icestar snorted and picked up the hunting patrol's earlier catches and returned to camp.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that Rise of the Rain helps you better understand the character of Icestar considering her personality is hard to grasp.<strong>

**Flames welcome, people telling me what I did wrong can help me get it right in later chapters.**

**~Icestar0921**


	3. Chapter 3

_An illness has wiped out most of RainClan, killing both the deputy and leader. No kits or elders survived and those that managed to overcome the sickness are drained of energy with every passing day, charged with the impossible task of feeding the clan.  
>Mysteriously, senior warrior Icefire has escaped the deadly clutches of the incurable sickness and stands as the only cat left strong enough to lead RainClan...<em>

**So... This is the prequel to Ice in the Stars. And I have decided to keep updating and working on it due to public demand. However, this is now the main fanfic I'm working on, so don't expect regular updates on Ice in the Stars.**

**Seriously people, is it _that_ hard to review? I really want to update Ice in the Stars but due to my stubbornness, I will stick to the deal of 5 reviews= update. Kay?  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 2:<span>**

Yowled of pain rang through the camp. Icestar and other warriors stood outside the nursery with their ears pricked. The silent night air filled with the screeches of agony made the fur on the back of Icestar's neck bristle.

"Icestar." Graystorm had emerged from the nursery and scanned the crowd until his gaze settled on the RainClan leader."

"What it?" Icestar turned her ice blue gaze to the medicine cat. "How is she?"

"Bumbletail is sleeping peacefully with her two kits, Stormkit and Sunkit." He paused. "And, Rosefur's fever broke overnight, if it doesn't come back, she can be cleared for warrior duties." Icestar glanced over at the medicine cat.

"So the disease goes away by itself…" She muttered. "No wonder you couldn't cure it." Graystorm shot her a look and sighed.

"I tried my best, Icestar. The few cats I have managed to save pales in comparison to the amount of cats left dead by this disaster." The leader dipped her head to him and padded away, skirting the camp until she was by the entrance to her den. She slipped into her den silently, where she curled into her freshly changed moss and gave way to sleep, her ears still ringing with Bumbletail's cries of pain.

* * *

><p>The next morning, just before dawn, Icestar crept out of camp and into the forest.<p>

When Icestar returned after sunhigh, her jaws clamped around fresh-kill, she slid around the outside of camp careful to not let a cat hear or scent her. She place the fresh-kill in a tunnel that she had dug before she left, leading to a small hole in the leaders' den.

Icestar swerved far away from the camp and streaked through the forest back towards the rest of her fresh-kill, praying to StarClan that it was still there. She arrived to see her prey pile untouched. She picked up the remaining prey and padded back to camp.

The sun was low in the sky when the RainClan leader padded carefully into camp. Immediately, warriors raced up to her.

"Icestar!" Goldenshade exclaimed. "The clan was worried sick! Where were you?"

"I'm not a kit, Goldenshade." Icestar snorted. "And I just went hunting. Prey is getting scarcer by the day. We should send out hunting patrols while we still can."

Goldenshade nodded and dashed away, calling cats together for a hunting patrol. Placing her prey on the shrinking fresh-kill pile, she spotted Lionwing moving towards her.

"Have you been to see my kits?" He asked, the tom's voice filled with pride.

"Not yet." She responded, shaking her head while she scanned the clearing.

"Well," Lionwing darted in front of her, "come on, right now." After hesitating a little, Icestar nodded and followed the warrior to the nursery.

Icestar growled as she squeezed through the entrance to the nursery, leaving tufts of ginger fur on the thorns. Inside the nursery, Bumbletail lay curled in a moss nest with two small kits curled at her side.

Icestar wanted to wail into the sky. _This isn't enough to save my clan! _But Icestar swallowed her doubts and forced a grin onto her face.

"I'm sure that they will make fine warriors of RainClan." She meowed, dipping her head to the queen. Bumbletail sighed, detecting the disppointment in the RainClan leader's voice.

Icestar turned and backed out of the den, crouching low to avoid getting her pelt shredded. Icestar returned to her den and carried the day's fresh-kill up onto the Highstone. Icestar took a deep breath, feeling the sharpness of the air before releasing a yowl to signal the start of a clan meeting.

The cats that managed to get out of their nests gathered at the base of the Highstone. Icestar paused warily and pawed her decent sized fresh-kill pile.

"The whole clan has been affected by RainClan's darkest hour, and I think it's time that we all had a break from this chaos." Icestar smacked the prey with a forepaw, causing it to drop to the base of the Highstone. The clan surged forwards to grab the prey, hope and excitement lighting in their eyes for the first time in moons.

Icestar stared proudly down at her clan, and for a moment, everything was perfect. Rosefur had stumbled out of Graystorm's den, and was ripping into a small vole. Tawnywing and Hailfoot were sharing tongues, and several tail-lengths away, Lionwing and Bumbletail were curled around Sunkit and Stormkit.

The barely detectable breeze picked up, and a cold draft came with it, seeping through Icestar's leaf-bare thick fur and biting her ears. And when she returned her gaze to the clan, she no longer saw an average day in the clan, but a small band of slowly starving cats, only enjoying a few moments of peace before another tragedy swept away hope like the wind.

_Sometimes I wish I was Peachstripe again, before my old life fell apart and I became Icefire, the ambitious, violent cat, heart of stone, blood of ice._ The idea of regret was wiped from her mind with another cold gust of wind. _But that's not who I am anymore, and the darkness has pulled me in too far, I can't go back. I am Icestar, and I will _kill_ to protect what I have left._

* * *

><p><strong>Flames welcome, people telling me what I did wrong can help me get it right in later chapters.<strong>

**~Icestar0921**


	4. Chapter 4

_An illness has wiped out most of RainClan, killing both the deputy and leader. No kits or elders survived and those that managed to overcome the sickness are drained of energy with every passing day, charged with the impossible task of feeding the clan.  
>Mysteriously, senior warrior Icefire has escaped the deadly clutches of the incurable sickness and stands as the only cat left strong enough to lead RainClan...<em>

**So... This is the prequel to Ice in the Stars. And I have decided to keep updating and working on it due to public demand. However, this is now the main fanfic I'm working on, so don't expect regular updates on Ice in the Stars.**

**I apologize for not updating in like forever but I had a really bad writers block where I couldn't even come up with any ideas. It was awful!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 3:<span>**

Stormkit opened his eyes slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the bright sunlight.

"I see you've opened your eyes." Stormkit turned around. A dark tabby she-cat blinked down at him. Some instinct told him that this she-cat was his mother.

Stormkit stared back stupidly, hypnotized by her gray eyes. "Can I go explore?" He finally murmured.

Bumbletail shook her head. "No, little one. It's too cold."

"Then will you tell us a story about Icestar." Sunkit meowed, stumbling up to Stormkit on paws way too big for the little kit.

Bumbletail turned to Sunkit. "I know nothing about Icestar. She won't tell me anything and She keeps her emotions so well hidden that I cant figure it out. The only thing Icestar has done for me was keep me full fed before you were born. I am nothing of interest. But your father is."

"But why?" Stormkit asked. Bumbletail just shook her head sadly.

"If you want to know about Icestar, then go ask her yourself or go ask the elders."

"Does that mean we can go explore?" Sunkit exclaimed, bouncing around Stormkit in circles.

Bumbletail nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on a point in the distance. "Yes."

Stormkit immediately shot out of the nursery. He skidded to a halt in the middle of the clearing, the cold air hitting him like a twoleg monster. Once his clumsy brother caught up, Stormkit turned back to see Bumbletail padding out of the nursery.

"Come on!" Sunkit begged. "Lets go look for Icestar."

Stormkit nodded and darted up to the closest cat, a light gray tom with darker stripes. "Where's Icestar?" He demanded.

The gray tom behind him purred with amusement. "You two must be the kits of Bumbletail and Lionwing."

"Where's Icestar?" Stormkit spat.

The gray tabby leaned down until he was a whisker length from Stormkit's muzzle. "What is your business with Icestar?" He hissed.

"We want her to tell us a story." Sunkit exclaimed cheerfully.

"Ha!" The gray tom laughed. "Icestar won't tell you a story! That's the elder's job." Stormkit and Sunkit glanced at each other excitedly.

"But there are no elders. Can I speak to someone who knew Icestar?" Stormkit meowed.

"Then speak to me." Stormkit whirled around to find a dark red she-cat staring down at them.

The gray tabby laughed. "Redblossom? You know _nothing _about Icestar!"

"I know more about Icestar then you think, Breezecloud, so it would do you good to hold your tongue." Redblossom spat.

Breezecloud curled his lip. "Icestar doesn't even trust you, much less _like _you! In the entire moon of being one of Icestar's elite warriors, she has _willingly_ told me more of her secrets than you could struggle to uncover in seasons!" He snarled.

"I'm her sister! I should know more than a warrior does about her." Redblossom retorted.

"I'm her son." The dark gray tom pointed out.

Both Breezecloud and Redblossom turned to the dark gray warrior. "Shut up, Thunderflight!" They spat in unison.

Thunderflight shrunk back under the glares of his clanmates.

Breezecloud had just opened his mouth when a voice, accompanied by a shadowy silhouette appeared on top of a large boulder three tail lengths away from Stormkit. The rising sun on the cat's flank allowed Stormkit to catch a glimpse of it's coloring. The cat had light ginger fur that bristled along her spine. The morning sunlight glinted off of cold blue eyes and a fluffy tail.

"Enough!" The shadow snarled. "I will not have my warriors fighting! Redblossom, I told you I didn't want you near my den, Hailfoot, take the kits back to the nursery." A light gray tom slipped quietly over to Stormkit and picked him up by the scruff.

"Let me go!" Stormkit squeaked, writhing in the warrior's jaws.

"Stop struggling." Hailfoot growled. His tone suggested that it was an order, not a choice.

"Let my brother go!" Sunkit spat. He raced up to Hailfoot and started biting down on his forepaw.

"Hey!" Hailfoot exclaimed.

"Hailfoot." The warrior immediately stopped trying to kick Sunkit off of his leg and looked up at the figure. "Are you incapable of removing the clan's newborn kits from this situation?" The shadowy figure sneered.

Hailfoot shook his head frantically. "No, Icestar. It's under control." He leaned down and grasped Sunkit by the scruff, who gave up the fight quickly.

"Thanks for trying." Stormkit murmured to Sunkit as Hailfoot walked away from the three warriors.

"These two-" Hailfoot spat at Bumbletail as he dropped them at her paws, "are nothing but trouble!" Stormkit lowered his head in shame as Hailfoot glared at him and Bumbletail with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

~ice~

"What does Icestar look like?" Stormkit asked Bumbletail.

"Stormkit, your investigation of Icestar is going to get you in serious trouble with Icestar someday. You are lucky that Icestar was too busy dealing with Breezecloud, Thunderflight, and Redblossom to give you a real punishment."

Sunkit shivered. "Goldenshade gave us enough of a punishment. Helping Graystorm in the medicine den for half a moon."

Stormkit nodded in agreement. "Herbs. Yuck! I want to be an elite warrior!"

Bumbletail curled her tail around Stormkit and Sunkit. She sighed. "Icestar. Her fur is a light ginger, but sharp and bright. The way she is built suggests a fox, with a long, fluffy tail and short, compact fur. She is all muscle, able to push boulders as big as me across camp. One of her ears is shredded, only a few small, jagged bits of skin where the ear once was. Her claws are long and sharp, digging into her enemy's fur and never letting go. And her eyes. Never ending pits of ice, sometimes dark blue, cold as the night, and other times, a light blue, never missing a tiny detail in the forest. She sees all, defeats all. She has no regrets."

"Now go to sleep and think happy thoughts."

* * *

><p><strong>Flames welcome, people telling me what I did wrong can help me get it right in later chapters.<strong>

**~Icestar0921**


	5. Chapter 5

_An illness has wiped out most of RainClan, killing both the deputy and leader. No kits or elders survived and those that managed to overcome the sickness are drained of energy with every passing day, charged with the impossible task of feeding the clan.  
>Mysteriously, senior warrior Icefire has escaped the deadly clutches of the incurable sickness and stands as the only cat left strong enough to lead RainClan...<em>

**So... This is the prequel to Ice in the Stars. And I have decided to keep updating and working on it due to public demand. However, this is now the main fanfic I'm working on, so don't expect regular updates on Ice in the Stars.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 4:<span>**

"Herbs. Yuck! I want to be an elite warrior!"

Icestar pricked her ears to listen for more. But all she heard was Bumbletail's description of her. "… sometimes dark blue, cold as the night, and other times, a light blue…" _Do my eyes really change color? _

Icestar shook her head. _So one of Lionwing's kits wants to be one of my elite warriors? Perfect. Little… gah- what's his name? Nevermind, I'll ask Lionwing later. I have more important matters to attend to. _

Icestar turned and sprang onto the Highstone, clearing the edge by a tail length. Immediately, the clan emerged from their dens at her yowl.

"The time has come for me to perform one of my favorite duties as leader. Sneezepaw, please step forward."

The blue eyed apprentice stepped forward, fur bristling with anticipation and shock.

"I, Icestar, the leader of RainClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice, he has worked hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you in his turn. Sneezepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" Sneezepaw exclaimed immediately.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I present to you your warrior name. Sneezepaw, you will now be known as Sneezefur. StarClan honors your loyalty and integrity and I welcome you as a full warrior of RainClan."

"Sneezefur! Sneezefur! Sneezefur!" Icestar raised her head to the stars and began the familiar chant for a new warrior

Icestar bowed her head and waited for the chanting to dye down. "Unfortunately, Sneezefur's parents, Snaketail and Bluestripe, are both in the medicine den. However, they are both expected to recover from the illness."

~ice~

Icestar watched as the sunset patrol returned. She padded up to them as they dropped their small catch on the fresh-kill pile. "This is going to be a long leaf-bare. What's the report?" Icestar meowed as she picked through the pile, finally grabbing a non-super-skinny vole.

"Take this to Bumbletail." Icestar meowed, and tossed the vole at Stripepaw.

"Yes, Icestar." He murmured and turned towards the nursery.

"We found more traces of RedClan and several pieces of prey that was killed and eaten on our side of the border." Hailfoot meowed. Icestar dug her claws into the ground furiously.

Icestar grinned slyly. "When I encountered Frostpaw on that border patrol he said they were going to hunt on our territory while we were still weak from the sickness. We attack their moonhigh patrol. They won't know what hit them. We go in, beat them down, leave a message for Snowstar, then leave." Icestar purred. _Yes. It's perfect._

"But Icestar, do we have enough warriors?" Hailfoot meowed.

Icestar nodded. "Just enough. Wait until moonrise, then send Duststripe, Sneezefur, Lionwing, Breezecloud, Goldenshade, Thunderflight, Tawnywing, and Stripepaw into my den, and then come to my den yourself."

Hailfoot dipped his head and padded away towards a group of chatting warriors.

Icestar used the time until moonrise to hunt, catching a decent amount of prey for leaf-bare.

"Welcome." Icestar meowed when all the warriors she asked for were gathered in a loose circle in her den, staring hungrily at the pile of prey. "We have much to discuss. Meanwhile, enjoy the prey." Icestar gestured with her tail to the fresh-kill. The RainClan warriors slowly ate their prey while Icestar explained her plan.

"What if RedClan is expecting an attack?" Breezecloud meowed finally.

"They will have no idea that we are planning an attack unless we have a spy in our ranks." Icestar replied calmly, sweeping her gaze lightly over the cats in front of her. Most shrank back, but others just stared back as they knew her staring was harmless.

"Where will we be positioned?" Tawnywing tipped her head to the side warily.

"The center of our two territories, just inside our border. I have studied the patrol patterns and they are patrolling our border tonight. Any more questions?" Icestar hissed. "Good." She meowed when no cat moved. "Lets go." Icestar shouldered her way out of the den and trotted to the camp entrance, her warriors following.

Silent as a shadow, the battle patrol slipped silently into the night.

Icestar placed her warriors in a line just inside the trees at the top of a ridge overlooking the border. She reviewed the battle signals and now all they could do was wait.

Finally a patrol of four cats appeared a tree length away. The battle patrol squinted to that the moon would not reflect off of their eyes.

"Quiet." The first cat meowed. "I can smell RainClan."

The second cat glared at the first and cuffed him over the head. "We're on the border, of course you can smell RainClan mousebrain."

The first cat growled and tackled the second, and they rolled back and forth on the grass, almost crossing the border until the third blocked them and split up the fight.

"Apprentices." The fourth muttered darkly and continued up the border. Obviously the leader of the patrol. "Frostpaw!" She snapped. "Knock it off. This is a border patrol."

Frostpaw sighed. "Yes, Foxfrost."

The third cat pricked his ears and gazed up the slope at the RainClan battle patrol. Icestar held her breath, praying to StarClan that they didn't see her.

"This is where we go into RainClan territory." He whispered.

"Why, Mudpelt?" The second apprentice asked warily.

Mudpelt glanced down at the apprentice. "Because, Slushpaw, this is the middle of the border, and if we're caught, we can run in either direction without running into another clan's territory." Slushpaw nodded quickly like what Mudpelt was telling him was the most important lesson of all.

The patrol started up the hill, straight into the claws of the waiting warriors.

All was silent as the RedClan patrol entered the trap, then the battle patrol leaped forward silencing the patrol and giving each a set of deep claw marks on their shoulders.

Icestar pressed a paw deep into Foxfrost's neck, choking her.

"Tell Snowstar that if she chooses to keep stealing prey, she'll have war. I have given my warriors permission to kill if your clan is ever found on my territory again." Icestar snarled, glaring deep into Foxfrost's scared green ones.

With a flick of her tail, the battle patrol melted into the shadows, leaving a group of terrified and shocked cats in the middle of an unfamiliar forest.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh yeah, two chapters in a day! What now?<br>**

**Flames welcome, people telling me what I did wrong can help me get it right in later chapters.**

**~Icestar0921**


	6. Chapter 6

_An illness has wiped out most of RainClan, killing both the deputy and leader. No kits or elders survived and those that managed to overcome the sickness are drained of energy with every passing day, charged with the impossible task of feeding the clan.  
>Mysteriously, senior warrior Icefire has escaped the deadly clutches of the incurable sickness and stands as the only cat left strong enough to lead RainClan...<em>

**So... This is the prequel to Ice in the Stars. And I have decided to keep updating and working on it due to public demand. However, this is now the main fanfic I'm working on, so don't expect regular updates on Ice in the Stars.**

**Alright... so, last night was new years eve... I spent the night at a friend's house and we watched Parnormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, and Zombieland. So here I am, forcing myself to type Chapter 5. I have a killer headache and my laptop is being a douche, so please enjoy my made up dialogue with my laptop and chapter 5.**

**Laptop: Haha! I'm not charging!**

**Me: But... but... but... but your charger is connected...**

**Laptop: I know- I call this payback for letting me die 2 days ago**

**Me: Let it go! Would you rather be spit on by my sister?**

**Laptop: Yes.**

**Me: *Holds up middle finger***

**Laptop: *Gasp!* That's not nice!**

**Me: I'm not nice! *Removes charger***

**Laptop: Haha! Now I'm charging!**

**Me: Dipsh*t**

**Laptop: a**hole**

**Me: I'm not afraid to throw you at a wall.**

**Laptop: But you need to save your documents.**

**Me: You wouldn't dare!**

**Laptop: Wanna bet?**

**Me: Bring it. *Lunges forward and presses ctrl-S*  
><strong>

**Laptop: (Monotone voice) Virus. Detected.**

**Me: Haha! I win the bet! So put that in your juice box and suck it! What now! You have a virus and my documents are _saaaved_! **

**Laptop: Lmfao. U actually thought I had I virus. But you forgot to save it on fanfiction. net!**

**Me: Nooooooooooooo!**

**The End**

**And that concludes my 100% pointless argument with my laptop, but for the record, it was also 100% satisfying.**

**What's with the Allegiances? That's right! Gathering chapter- sort of.  
><strong>

**Alright. I wasted enough time on that, so- chapter 5-  
><strong>

* * *

><p>RainClan: Icestar<br>Deputy: Goldenshade

DarkClan: Whitestar  
>Deputy: Streamshine<p>

PineClan: Runningstar  
>Deputy: Tangleclaw<p>

CloudClan: Hawkstar  
>Deputy: Kestrelwing<p>

MarshClan: Riverstar  
>Deputy: Ivyheart<p>

NightClan: Darkstar  
>Deputy: Ravenclaw<p>

RedClan: Snowstar  
>Deputy: Foxfrost<p>

SunClan: Stonestar  
>Deputy: Eggfrost<p>

**Chapter 5:**

The darkness was closing in. Choking him, leaving him breathless. Stormkit raced through the pressing blackness and turned immediately as he spotted the tall cliffs looming in front of him.

Stormkit sprinted back the way he had come, passing in front of a shiny, reflective sheet, providing little light but just enough to see that racing along beside him in the reflective sheet was himself, but as a fully grown warrior. Stormkit swerved to the left and passed by a few oddly shaped stones lying on the ground half covered in mud.

Distracted by the odd rocks, Stormkit tripped over a branch stuck in the ground and found himself wet and cold, looking up a waterfall belly deep in water.

Stormkit shook his fur and padded over to shore.

Before him stood a mud-brown tom with wide green eyes.

_Storm and Water will clash over loyalty and be frozen in Ice until thaw._ Stormkit stared in awe at the mud colored cat. He heard the voice in his head but the cat's jaws did not move.

"Stormkit!" The cat began to pad towards Stormkit slowly, never missing a pawstep.

"Stormkit!" The cat meowed again.

"Stormkit!" The cat was screaming now.

Stormkit screamed and jolted awake in his nest as the brown tom leaped for his throat.

"Are you okay?" Stormkit looked up. Bumbletail was staring down at him.

Stormkit nodded, panting. "Nightmare."

Bumbletail murmered sympathetically and curled her tail around Stormkit. He pushed her away, spitting out gray and brown fur. "I'm fine! Can I go outside again with Sunkit?" The dream was forgotten as Stormkit leaped out of the nest and scuttled out of the nursery with Sunkit on his heels.

Bumbletail shook her head and followed them out of the nursery.

Stormkit stopped just outside the entrance, causing Sunkit to run into his flank. "Where's Icestar?" Stormkit demanded, scanning the clearing for the ginger she-cat with ice blue eyes.

"Never mind that," Bumbletail mumbled. Stormkit's mother had ducked out of the nursery after Sunkit and had narrowly avoided tripping over the two kits. "where did all of those scratches come from?"

"What scratches?" Sunkit chirped.

"Look at the warriors' fur." As Stormkit searched the clearing, he began to notice small scrapes and patches of missing fur covering the warriors' pelts.

"Lionwing!" Bumbletail called. A golden tom with green eyes turned and bounded over to the small group of cats.

Eyes wide, Bumbletail ran her tail along Lionwing's side, over a barely noticeable scratch. "What happened?"

"Icestar led a messenger attack on RedClan's moonhigh patrol." He meowed, eyes blazing with excitement.

Bumbletail's fur bristled along her spine. "What? And she didn't tell anyone else about this?" Lionwing shook his head.

"She thought it would be best if we snuck out, beat up the RedClan patrol, left the message, and then slipped back to camp without alerting the clan because then everything would have become a lot more complicated."

"Where's Icestar?" Stormkit asked again.

Lionwing glanced down at him before returning his gaze to Bumbletail. "She's over there." He replied. Lionwing flicked his tail to where a large ginger she-cat was speaking to the Breezecloud cat from the day before.

Stormkit felt his eyes widen. Icestar stood with her back to the nursery, the light orange fur packed closely around her shoulders and back stood straight up so that it looked like her fur was always bristling. Her tail was darker and the fur was longer than the rest of her lightly colored pelt. She stood in a slightly defensive position, her paws planted solidly on the dusty ground, long claws slowly unsheathing themselves. The sharp lines of her muscles ripped underneath her spiky fur and her tail tip twitched back and forth in irritation. Icestar's ears were held back against her head, but Stormkit could still make out the faint outline of her ripped up ear.

A snarl from behind Stormkit snapped him away from Icestar's brilliant pelt. Bumbletail stalked past him to Icestar who turned immediately, responding quickly to his mother's furious approach.

All Stormkit could hear was yowling. Chills shot up Stormkit's spine as Icestar's face came into view. Bumbletail truly did not exaggerate the details of Icestar. A long scar split the right side of her face into two sides. From the long bare obvious claw mark running through her eye, the fur was slicked down, each side running a different direction across her skin. Her black nose gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the canopy of trees.

_Her eyes._ Chills ran up Stormkit's spine as he gazed into the depths. When Bumbletail raced up to the leader, her eyes had suggested curiosity and a hint of disgust, but had quickly gone dark, like Icestar had turned off the sun, replacing it with a forever burning ball of rage-filled blue fire.

Stormkit watched Bumbletail shrink down in front of Icestar. He could almost watch Icestar's eyes sap all of his mother's confidence with a single glare.

When Icestar was done intimidating Bumbletail, she slipped quietly into the shadows around the edge of the camp and streaked over to the stream that ran through the middle of camp.

"What's Icestar doing now, Lionwing?" Sunkit asked, bouncing in circles around his father.

"Fishing." Lionwing replied, amusement written in his green gaze. Stormkit barely heard. How Icestar managed to move that quickly and silently being larger than even Lionwing amazed Stormkit.

"Fish!" Sunkit squeaked. "Ew!" He spat.

"Fish is what's keeping you alive." Lionwing meowed. Stormkit watched as Icestar scooped a gleaming fish out of the water and caught it in her jaws effortlessly.

Stormkit dashed over to Icestar, ignoring the warning calls of Lionwing and Bumbletail to leave Icestar alone. Bright flashes in the clear water proved that the fish had come out of the little underwater caves to bask in the sun-warmed stream.

He watched as Icestar scooped another fish out of the water and laid it carefully on her fast-growing pile of prey.

When Stormkit dared to take a step closer to the water to see how Icestar managed to catch such quick creatures, his shadow, as small as it was, caused all of the fish to dark back into their underwater caves.

The RainClan leader was in front of him instantly, towering above the kit's head and glaring down at him disapprovingly. "Stormkit!" She roared.

Stormkit was instantly paralyzed by Icestar's scorching glare. His pelt burned and then turned to ice over and over again. He felt like Icestar could hear his heart beat quickly against his chest, sense his fear, read all his secerets.

Suddenly Stormkit could feel himself being picked up and the burning and freezing sensation stopped.

"I'm so sorry, Icestar." Lionwing meowed quickly through Stormkit's scruff. "It won't happen again."

Icestar nodded coldly, "See that it doesn't."

"Come on, Stormkit." Lionwing muttered. "How have you managed to make Icestar furious twice? Back to the nursery for you." He growled.

Icestar growled furiously to herself as she quietly lurked in the shadows by the RainClan nursery._ Stupid kit. How dare he ruin my hunt._ Icestar grinned as she remembered the terror in the kit's eyes as Icestar had glared down at him.

_Time to leave for the gathering. _Icestar yowled to call the clan together and the whole group disappeared into the night, melting into the shadows.

RainClan was the second to last clan to arrive, just before SunClan.

Icestar could feel the glares of the RedClan cats scorching her pelt. _Perfect. They got my message. _Icestar nodded to Ivyheart before springing onto the Tall Rock. CloudClan arrived moments later and Darkstar yowled to begin the gathering.

"I am pained to announce that my loyal deputy, Echotail has been claimed by StarClan. However, my new deputy, Ravenclaw, is eager to serve her clan." Icestar half-heartedly began to call the new deputy's name, not paying attention, but laying out the perfect plan in her head.

"Icestar!" Snowstar snapped. "What is your reason for ambushing my moonhigh patrol?"

The timing was perfect. Icestar could tell that Snowstar was expecting me to react aggressively to her accusation. She growled to herself as she sat calmly and prepared the speech she had rehearsed.

"Snowstar," Icestar purred. Icestar raised her head with a flash of satisfaction that Snowstar was shocked by her reaction. "you stand here and accuse me of rightfully attacking cats that were trespassing on my territory."

"Your message that you left for me…" Snowstar turned to the edge of the stone and looked out across the eight clans gathered there. "Cats of all clans!" She began.

Icestar growled to herself, struggling with the little voice inside her head that screamed at her to leap to her paws and rip Snowstar's throat out.

"Icestar's message…_ 'Tell Snowstar that if she chooses to keep stealing prey, she'll have war. I have given my warriors permission to kill if your clan is ever found on my territory again.'"_

Icestar rolled her eyes. "Your point being?" She prompted.

_Now. _"You are a murderer, Icestar. You should not have been accepted by StarClan." Snowstar snarled.

Icestar nodded to herself.

She shot to her paws, ignoring the gasps coming from all of the forward until she was glaring down at Snowstar, Icestar let out an eerie laugh.

"That's easier said than done, Snowstar. Before accusing me of murder in front of the entire gathering, you might want to get some evidence. Who have I killed, Snowstar? Do you even have one small bit of proof that shows that I have killed any cats?" Snowstar had gone from straight up furious to embarrassed.

"I, on the other had, do have proof for my accusation." Icestar flicked her tail and Hailfoot and Tawnywing padded into the clearing each carrying several pieces of prey. "Everyone, get a good sniff. What exactly do you smell? RedClan? Over the past moon, my patrols have found many more pieces of prey that has been killed and eaten in my territory."

"Where's your explanation for that?" Icestar meowed, satisfied with the panic on Snowstar's face.

* * *

><p><strong>Wooh- Longest Chapter! Please, Please, Please Review!<br>**

**Flames welcome, people telling me what I did wrong can help me get it right in later chapters.**

**~Icestar0921**


End file.
